1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pen or flashlight having a housing for receiving eyeglasses, more particularly to such a housing having a fixedly mounted or integrally formed rear cap, and an openable front cap with a writing tip or flashlight, which permits access to an interior of the housing for storage of eyeglasses. In another embodiment, the flashlight may be secured to an outer surface of the housing or be integrated into a portion of the housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people wear eyeglasses only on certain occasions. For instance, people suffering from presbyopia usually wear eyeglasses only for reading and close work such as writing. Manufacturers have therefore developed a type of pen that has a receiving space for storing a pair of eyeglasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,967 teaches a pen for receiving eyeglasses, which includes a hollow pen barrel having a first open end and a second open end. The first open end is provided with a writing tip unit or flashlight while the second open end has a removable cap mounted pivotably thereon to allow access to an interior of the pen barrel for storage of a pair of eyeglasses from the rear end of the pen. While the pivotally connected rear cap can be prevented from loss, such pivotal connection obstructs addition of other accessories, such as a flashlight, to the rear end of the pen. On the other hand, the structure of the rear cap may be weakened by any additional accessory mounted thereon. If the flashlight and the writing tip unit are mounted interchangeably at the front end of the pen, they are inconvenient to carry around and can be misplaced easily. Besides, it is comparatively complicated to provide two removable components at the two ends of the pen in terms of manufacture.
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a pen or flashlight which includes a housing for receiving eyeglasses, which overcomes the aforesaid problems.
Accordingly, in a first embodiment a pen for receiving eyeglasses of the present invention includes a pen barrel and a writing tip unit. The pen barrel includes a barrel body which is adapted to receive a pair of eyeglasses therein, and which has open front and rear ends, and a fixed rear cap which is mounted fixedly on and which closes the rear end of the barrel body. The writing tip unit includes an openable front cap which has a front end and a rear end that is attached to and that closes the front end of the barrel body, and a writing tip which is confined within the front cap and which extends from the front end of the front cap.
In another embodiment, the writing tip is replaced by a high intensity light emitting diode and associated power supply. Additionally, a key chain may be secured to the barrel body or housing. In yet another embodiment, the barrel or body comprises two joinable sections each having a closed end and a high intensity light emitting diode and associated power supply is secured to another surface thereof in either a fixed position or pivotably. In yet a further embodiment the housing is in the form of a clam shell housing and includes a high intensity light emitting diode and associated power source secured to the outer surface thereof. In a still further embodiment, the light emitting diode and associated power supply may be integrated into a portion of the housing and a mirror may also be provided on the surface of the case.